The more things change
by The Fangirl92
Summary: ...the more they stay the same.


This is for the 30th anniversary of Ninja Turtles.

Disclaimer: I do not own Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

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Time is a strange thing, Michelangelo mused. It always moves in one direction, forward. No matter the situation it continues to elude you, sliping through your fingers like grains of sand.

Michelangelo was sitting on the edge of a rooftop wrapped up tightly in a dark cloak, staring at a wonderful view of Central Park. It was a cold February night, but he barely noticed the chill, too engrossed by the view. The area of Central Park he saw was filled with trees that never lost their foliage: pines, conifers, evergreens. As the moon shined down upon the city that never slept, it seemed to give the trees a mysterious glow. Throughout his life, Mikey had come to the very same rooftop just to look or sketch the scene in front of him. Tonight, however, he was content just looking at the scene in front of him. A few boxes lay next to him, filled with delicious, piping hot pizza.

Michelangelo and his brothers were no longer teenagers. Thirty years had passed since they had saved a woman from being chomped to death by a bunch of metal mouse traps. How much had changed since then?

The woman they saved was now an important part of the family. An angry black haired vigilante who had wandered the streets had become their brother. Said vigilante and woman had fallen in love and now were married. He and his brothers had traveled across the globe, into space, to different dimensions. They had won countless battles against the Shredder. They had failed, only to succeed the next time.

The world around them had changed as well. As Mikey gazed upon New York City from the roof of a building, he pondered how the city he saw could be so different from the city from his memories. The once dirty, polluted air was still polluted but was much cleaner and fresher than it was thirty years ago. City streets that were once filled to the brim with trash and debris were now almost void of garbage. A city that was once filled with so much crime now had a stronger, more efficient police force and more and more people could walk the streets without fear.

So many things had changed in thirty years. He and his family had changed in thirty years. Leonardo wasn't as uptight and didn't fret over every single little thing. Raphael had learned to control his temper (to an extent) and was less likely to blow up. Donatello didn't overanalyze a situation anymore and pursued different activities. Michelangelo had matured slightly and was able to focus on a task.

As for Master Splinter….. he had reunited with his beloved Master Yoshi.

Michelangelo started when his shell cell rang. He rummaged through his cloak until he found the machine. "Hello?"

Raph's deep baritone answered him, "Knucklehead where the shells are ya? I'm starving!"

Mikey rolled his eyes, an amused grin on his face, "I'm on the way Raphe, calm down."

"Don't call me that! Just hurry up! Leo is driving me nuts 'cause he thinks you should be here by now and Don isn't helping with the way he's spouting facts on the risks of hypothermia."

Mikey just laughed, "Okay, Okay! I'm coming." Then he said goodbye to his older brother and stood up.

Change was a part of life. But as Michelangelo gazed upon the city he grew up in, he realized that some things would never change.

Pizza was still the best damn food in the world. New York City would still be known as the city that never sleeps. Children would go to school and grow old. Grandparents would always complain about new technology and tell stories to their grandchildren.

Leonardo would always be the fussy older brother, the one who could lead them through any situation. Raphael would always be the hothead, the one who would protect his loved ones no matter the personal cost. Donatello would always be the genius, the one who patched up their wounds after a battle. Michelangelo would always be the obnoxious younger brother, the one who could put a smile on his brothers' faces at the end of the day.

And Master Splinter would always watch over them, no matter where he was.

Yes, Michelangelo thought, things change, but not everything has to. He would always have people to love and always have people who loved him in return. Time brings many changes, but it also preserves the most important things.

Like love. The love between family members always remains, even when the sands of time have taken family away.

Michelangelo smiled, picked up the boxes of pizza, and made his way home.

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**A/N:** Some of my fondest memories are of watching the 2003 series on TV. It makes me so happy that something from my childhood is still alive.

Thank you for reading! Please review so I can become a better writer.


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